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Dustin Penner
| birth_place = Winkler, Manitoba, Canada | draft = Undrafted | career_start = 2005 | career_end = 2014 }} Dustin Penner (born September 28, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He was not drafted by an NHL team; in 2004, he was signed as a free agent by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim after playing college hockey for the University of Maine in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Dustin won the Stanley Cup in his first full season with the (renamed) Anaheim Ducks in 2007, adding a second Stanley Cup in his first full season with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012. Playing Career Minors and Collegiate Playing Career Growing up in Winkler, Manitoba, Canada, Dustin played for his high school hockey team, the Garden Valley Collegiate Zodiacs (alongside future Washington Capitals teammate Eric Fehr). After high school, he was cut by many minor hockey teams, including his local junior club three times.With little hope of ever playing hockey professionally, Dustin agreed to play with Minot State University-Bottineau (now known as Dakota College at Bottineau), but immediately broke his femur, ending his first year with the club. The next year (in the 2001–02 season), Dustin became a very important player for Bottineau, scoring 20 goals with 13 assists in 23 games, also earning the Most Determined Player Award for his improvement and stellar play after recovering from his injury. Dustin then went to an evaluation camp at Saskatoon. He played well there, scoring an average of three points per game. He was scouted by Grant Standbrook, the assistant coach for the University of Maine and was offered a scholarship which he accepted. Although Dustin did not initially join the team (in the 2003–04 season), he helped lead the Black Bears and to the NCAA Championship game, scoring the game-winning goal in the semi-finals against Boston College. Maine then lost the championship title game to the University of Denver 1–0. Anaheim Ducks On May 12, 2004, Dustin was signed as a free agent by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to a three-year entry-level contract. He was assigned to the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, Anaheim's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. Dustin recorded 28 points in his professional rookie season with Cincinnati and then took a major step the next season as he was moved to the Portland Pirates, who became the Mighty Ducks' AHL affiliate in 2005–06. Dustin scored 39 goals and 84 points in 57 games with Portland while also making his NHL debut, appearing in 19 games with the Mighty Ducks that season. He was originally called up on November 23, 2005, being sent back and forth from the minors. During the Mighty Ducks' 2006 playoff run, he scored nine points in 13 games until Anaheim was eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals. Dustin earned a full-time roster spot with the Ducks in 2006–07 and broke out with 29 goals and 45 points playing with Ryan Getzlaf & Corey Perry on a unit dubbed the "Kid Line." His goal total was the second-highest on the team, only trailing superstar Teemu Selanne. Dustin also set the Ducks' franchise rookie record for most points (surpassed by Bobby Ryan in 2008–09). During the Ducks' 2007 Stanley Cup run, he scored the game-winner in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarter-finals against the Minnesota Wild and Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Ottawa Senators. In Game 5, Dustin and the Ducks defeated the Senators 6–2 to win the Stanley Cup. He became the first former Maine Black Bear to win the Stanley Cup as a player. Edmonton Oilers After winning the Stanley Cup with the Ducks, Dustin's entry-level deal expired and he became a restricted free agent in the off-season. With the Ducks dealing with salary cap issues and the signing of Todd Bertuzzi, Edmonton Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe jumped at the opportunity and signed him to a five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet. Lowe was criticized by the media and specifically Ducks' General Manager Brian Burke. After seven days had passed, the Ducks were ultimately unwilling to match the offer and Dustin became an Oiler. To date, he is the most recent player to change teams via an offer sheet. In his first season with the Oilers, Dustin scored a team-high 23 goals and improved to 47 points. He then began the 2008–09 season with a slow start and was publicly criticized by Head Coach Craig MacTavish for a lack of fitness and competitiveness after being made a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game. Dustin was confirmed to be a part of a planned summertime 2009 blockbuster trade that would see Andrew Cogliano, Ladislav Smid and himself dealt to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for disgruntled All-Star forward Dany Heatley, but in the end, Heatley exercised the no-trade clause contained in his contract and the deal could not be finalized (Heatley would, shortly after, accept a trade to the San Jose Sharks). He got off to a good start in 2009–10 season and was fourth in NHL scoring with 11 goals and 11 assists after 18 games played. On October 22, 2009 (for the first time in his career), Dustin scored five points (two goals and three assists), in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. His linemates for that game were Ales Hemsky (one goal and four assists) and Sam Gagner (one goal and two assists). At the season's end, the Oilers had finished last overall in the league, but Dustin had recorded career highs in goals (32) and points (63). Los Angeles Kings On February 28, 2011, Dustin was traded from Edmonton to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Colten Teubert, a first-round draft pick in 2011 (Oscar Klefbom), as well as a conditional third-round pick in the 2012 (Daniil Zharkov). On January 7, 2012, he experienced back spasms while attempting to eat some self-described "delicious pancakes", an injury that caused him to miss a game and become the subject of pancake-related jokes among fans. On May 22, 2012, Dustin scored the winning goal in overtime in Game 5 against the Phoenix Coyotes to advance the Kings to the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. On June 11, 2012, he won his second Stanley Cup, as the Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils 6–1 in Game 6. Dustin is only the 21st NHL player to play for both sides of the Freeway Face-Off between the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings (and the only one to win the Stanley Cup with both teams). On July 1, 2012, he re-signed with the Kings to a one-year contract worth $3.25 million. Return to Anaheim On July 16, 2013, Dustin was signed as a free agent to return on a one-year, $2 million deal with the Anaheim Ducks. During the 2013–14 season, he rebounded offensively with the Ducks, reuniting with former line-mates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Trade to Washington In 49 games with Anaheim, Dustin scored 13 goals and 32 points before he was dealt approaching the trade deadline to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a fourth-round pick on March 4, 2014 where he played in 18 games with them before retiring in 2014. Career Statistics Accolades *2001-02: NJCAA - Most Determined Player Award - MSU-Bottineau *2003-04: NCAA - Jack Semler Award, University of Maine (Most Improved Player) *2004: All-NCAA All-Tournament Team *2006-07: NHL - Stanley Cup (Anaheim Ducks) *2011-12: NHL- Stanley Cup (Los Angeles Kings) Category:1982 births Category:Anaheim Ducks players Category:Los Angeles Kings players Category:Edmonton Oilers players Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Portland Pirates players Category:Cincinatti Mighty Ducks players Category:Canadian ice hockey players Category:Undrafted National Hockey League players Category:Canadian ice hockey left wingers